"I cannot speak to their motives concerning the timing, but... Doctor Maria Wellington is one of our top engineers. She was the lead designer of the Nikola, among her many other accomplishments."

Click to expand...

"The Nikola; I believe I had the pleasure of catching a glimpse of it during my arrival. An impressive vessel I must say..." he stood there contemplating whether or not this might have anything to do with the Seshir before simply asking "In your opinion Councilman, what would you consider the technological capacities of the CSAR? Though I do not know of their true intentions, I can only assume that they would wish to use her skills to aid in a potential project or perhaps this is an attempt to weaken one of your own..."

He paused. Not wanting to step on any toes and there was no way of knowing just how touchy the subject might be.

"If Doctor Wellington is as capable in her field as you say, them I'm certain that she holds vast knowledge of some your Institutes projects and of your many strengths and weaknesses."

Dalton Convention Centre, Auditorium.
Tash smiled towards Takeda and already wanted to respond to him when Ambassador Mond stepped in to ask Questions about the kidnapped scientist to Dr. Takeda. Sure it was nice to at least get an Idea on why the CSAR delegation acted the way they did and they surely would benefit from such an talented specialist in the field of engineering. Tash had seen the Nikola during the Cheanas Mission in the Canon-Rei system via the sensor readings of the Ship. He admired the design even though he thought that the ship was a bit chubby and could be a little more sleek. Anyway he couldn't overhear Monds question about the technological level of the CSAR Nation.

"Well, they will regret that they not have stayed longer to this conference regarding their technology after today." Tash said with a wide smile after Mond stopped talking and looked back to his Brother wich had calmed down at least for a bit.

Alex looked towards his Brother and looked a little bit puzzled before he finaly understood what he mend and stood up. The Fleetmaster had waited all the Time for this and he could finaly give the Humans what he intended to give them since the meeting in Canon-Rei.

"My Brother is right." Alex said stepping next to the larger Dragon, looking up towards General Mond and Doctor Takeda. "In regards of what the B.R.S. has to offer to the coalition that will help defend humanity against the Sheshir threat, we prepared several things to help, including vast amounts of different Technologys to even out the Field or even surpass the technological edge the Sheshir poses." He said and made a gesture towards the Holographic Projector they still had down here in the Auditorium. The device sprung to live and several holographic Windows popped up showing lists of Technologys the Dragons were going to provide.

"We won't provide Technologys for Weapon Systems but," He looked around to the other Delegates still present at this meeting. "we will provide Shield Technology, metalugic processes to strenghten the Hulls of Ships, means to upgrade your current form of energy production, the means to upgrade and create Artificial Intelegence on the same level as our own to a lesser extend as well as many more." He looked around again to see the faces of his fellow Dragons and the Delegates before he waved Karun over to him to walk onto the podium. "We also give you something, that will garantee the safety of the Human home system of Sol..." Alex looked over to the older, wingles Dragon wich walked over to General Roberts to kneel down and pick up the Sword, Tash had earlier lied down before the General.

The Older Dragon sighed before looking up towards the General. His Eyes were filled with relieve and a little bit of joy before he looked towards the Auditorium again.

"One Hundret and fifty years Ago," he began with his raspy voice "I hatched within the confines of the Sol System. Aboard an large Space Station, hidden withing Subspace, hidden for the eyes of Humanity wich wasn't reaching towards the Stars at that time. I grew up under the Light of the beautiful Sun that gave life to everything that lived on earth. I lived on that Station for fifty years doing my duty. To protect Humanity from harm that could have come from the vast sea of stars that surrounds that small system of nine planets. When Humanity discovered the means of faster then light travel, I and 15 Billion other Dragons left the Solar System wich were hidden in several other installations around the System. We left, because we thought Humanity was finaly ready to protect itself and find its own Destiny among the Stars. I, was the last Dragon to leave the Solar System. I was the last appointed keeper of the Key that powered the main Controll Station of an Array of small Outposts, hidden science Stations and several defensive Satelites gathered around the Edge of the Sol System... And today." he looked around, blinking a tear out of his eyes. "I will give the Key to that controll Station, over into Humanitys Hand." He unsheated the Blade, wich was covered with a detailed depiction of the Solar System, each planet skillfully forged into the silvery Blade of the Dragon long Sword before he placed the Blade in his other Hand and presented it towards General Roberts. "I kept the Sol System safe for fifty years like the Keepers that came before me... We watched Humanity grow for over one million years... And I believe, even though i sacrificed my ability to fly by retrieving this sword, that Humanity can overcome the hardships that are standing before them and that my little sacrifice will help them to stand up against the coming storm."

Order of Events:
-Tash mocks the CSAR for leaving so soon.
-Alex reveals what the Dragons had planned to gift Humanity.
-Shipmaster Karun Den reveals his Age, his place of birth, and probably the last line of defense for Humanity.
-He also reveals that the Dragons were watching the Human species for one million years.

The hot steam began to fill up the tunnel, and for a moment, it looked like DL's plan would work. Red lights began flashing, but the steam wasn't letting up. Lt. Varra instinctively put up an arm to try to protect her face from it, though she was far enough to be in no immediate danger. There were other concerns.

"It's a lockdown! This way! Quick!" She started running down a tunnel to the right as doors began to slowly descend. The steam wasn't turning off. The room was being sealed to contain the leak. "Damnit, what did I tell you about shooting? Now we have to detour!"

Click to expand...

"You know, I was going to suggest we smoke them out too, but this really isn't what I had in mind!"

As Varra, DL, and Ashe scrambled for the quickly closing exit, Ford slid quickly over to the downed CSAR soldier, first checking for any pulse. With nothing in that regard, he grabbed the machine pistol at his side and pulled out two magazines from the soldier's belt. He stood quickly and began running after the others, being quick despite his older age. "So much for cutting them off!"

"One Hundret and fifty years Ago," he began with his raspy voice "I hatched within the confines of the Sol System. Aboard an large Space Station, hidden withing Subspace, hidden for the eyes of Humanity wich wasn't reaching towards the Stars at that time. I grew up under the Light of the beautiful Sun that gave life to everything that lived on earth. I lived on that Station for fifty years doing my duty. To protect Humanity from harm that could have come from the vast sea of stars that surrounds that small system of nine planets. When Humanity discovered the means of faster then light travel, I and 15 Billion other Dragons left the Solar System wich were hidden in several other installations around the System. We left, because we thought Humanity was finaly ready to protect itself and find its own Destiny among the Stars. I, was the last Dragon to leave the Solar System. I was the last appointed keeper of the Key that powered the main Controll Station of an Array of small Outposts, hidden science Stations and several defensive Satelites gathered around the Edge of the Sol System... And today." he looked around, blinking a tear out of his eyes. "I will give the Key to that controll Station, over into Humanitys Hand." He unsheated the Blade, wich was covered with a detailed depiction of the Solar System, each planet skillfully forged into the silvery Blade of the Dragon long Sword before he placed the Blade in his other Hand and presented it towards General Roberts. "I kept the Sol System safe for fifty years like the Keepers that came before me... We watched Humanity grow for over one million years... And I believe, even though i sacrificed my ability to fly by retrieving this sword, that Humanity can overcome the hardships that are standing before them and that my little sacrifice will help them to stand up against the coming storm."

Click to expand...

Chairman Marshall stood, approaching the presentation by the dragons and those speaking with the VI representatives. "I think that if anything, so far this conference has only demonstrated the need for cooperation here. For the longest time the Federation has stood alone against anything threatening it's borders or people. The Sheshir are the biggest threat we've faced, as a nation, and as a galaxy. Compared the empires meeting at this conference, the Federation is relatively small. However, small though, our military forces have developed some ground breaking technologies in the struggle to maintain the sovereignty of the Solaris System. One such technology, we call the Tear Drive (OOC: Like a tear in fabric, not like a crying tear). It was originally developed by the Rashaan Confederacy Corp of Engineers, and so I'll have Mr. Jericho here explain the many advantages this may give us over the Sheshir."

Mr. Jericho stepped up from behind, moving ahead to explain. "Tear Drive technology has been equipped on all modern Sovereign Systems Navy starships. Put simply, the Tear Drive is not a faster than light engine. What it does, is allows vessels to move from space as we know it, into a much smaller and condensed pocket dimension. The Tear Drive opens holes in the fabric of space, or rather, tears them. Because this pocket dimension is much smaller than the one we inhabit, the points connecting our dimension to that one are much closer together, so any distance covered in that dimension will be covered exponentially faster than conventional FTL travel."

"What this means for the coming war, is that we can strike out at the Sheshir anywhere. During sustained offensives we don't have to worry about having transporting supplies and munitions vast distances. With this technology, we could attack and hold the Sheshir homeworld at the very start. Finally, this technology means that we can keep installations and bases completely safe from Sheshir attacks, as without this technology the Sheshir cannot track any ships to where the arrive or departed from. Of course, there are limitations. To ensure the safety of ships using the tear drive, we must have a rudimentary idea of the area they'll be arriving in. Due to the nature of the Tear Drive there is the danger of coming out in a dangerous area, so precautions must be taken. We won't be able to safely exit Tear Space for example, in the middle of a battle. But aside from the extremes this technology will give us the upper hand."

Chairman Marshall returned up front to speak. "Tonight is a very pivotal vote for the Sovereign Systems Parliament. Currently, they're commencing voting on the creation of the Second Sovereign Systems Army, a much larger fighting force derived from the most elite units of the Solaris system nations. Additionally, of importance to those gathered here, on the sharing of this technology. As I understand it, Federation engineers have developed a method to retrofit vessels to travel through Tears. The system is only one component of the tear drive modifed for general use, so any vessel equipped would not be able to open tears, only use those already opened. If the act passes we will be able to distribute this to the nations involved in the coalition. It is my sincere hope that is does pass, although there is a significant opposition. They fear giving away the few advantages we may have jeopardizes our safety. But regardless, we must work together. Later tonight we'd like to hold a small presentation about the Federation and what else we can bring to the table, as well as a collaboration between our military specialists to develop a strategy. I hope to see you then.

Order of Events:
- Ford grabs a gun and scrambles to get out
- The Chairman and Jericho speak about the Tear Drive and it's military potential
- All delegates are invited to the UFSS Presentation tonight

"One Hundret and fifty years Ago," he began with his raspy voice "I hatched within the confines of the Sol System. Aboard an large Space Station, hidden withing Subspace, hidden for the eyes of Humanity wich wasn't reaching towards the Stars at that time. I grew up under the Light of the beautiful Sun that gave life to everything that lived on earth. I lived on that Station for fifty years doing my duty. To protect Humanity from harm that could have come from the vast sea of stars that surrounds that small system of nine planets. When Humanity discovered the means of faster then light travel, I and 15 Billion other Dragons left the Solar System wich were hidden in several other installations around the System. We left, because we thought Humanity was finaly ready to protect itself and find its own Destiny among the Stars. I, was the last Dragon to leave the Solar System. I was the last appointed keeper of the Key that powered the main Controll Station of an Array of small Outposts, hidden science Stations and several defensive Satelites gathered around the Edge of the Sol System... And today." he looked around, blinking a tear out of his eyes. "I will give the Key to that controll Station, over into Humanitys Hand." He unsheated the Blade, wich was covered with a detailed depiction of the Solar System, each planet skillfully forged into the silvery Blade of the Dragon long Sword before he placed the Blade in his other Hand and presented it towards General Roberts. "I kept the Sol System safe for fifty years like the Keepers that came before me... We watched Humanity grow for over one million years... And I believe, even though i sacrificed my ability to fly by retrieving this sword, that Humanity can overcome the hardships that are standing before them and that my little sacrifice will help them to stand up against the coming storm."

Click to expand...

Zanev nearly fell out of his seat when he heard this. Sure, most in the Union wouldn't consider Earth a home anymore, especially the Station Born, but it was still important to them. And to hear that the Dragons had guarded humanity for so many years... none of the Union Delegates could quite believe it. Even Diez, reading Alex's words as they appeared on she datapad, was in awe at this. Kight soon spoke to the other members of the Union delegation.

"Well...that explains why they want to help us. They've already been doing it for thousands of years." Zanev just shook his head.

"Millions Fleet Commander." Kight just showed the young ambassador the cross around his neck, not wanting to get in a debate in the middle of what was happening."
-----------
In the safe zone, the four, black painted Astrocobras left the Dark Night. Komodo quickly sent a message to the Nikola.

"Nikola, this is Komodo of Dark Gamma Squadron. We've been told to assist you with the CSAR if need, and not to engage unless you give the word. We are armed with EMP torpedoes, and can even open our weapons bays so you can scan them yourselves."(OOC: If they do the scan, the fighters will open their bays and Nikola will find all four fighters are stocked with torpedoes that have a capacitor warhead and a system to near-instantly overcharge it.)

Order of Events
-Bobcat worries about what could happen.
-General shock among the Union delegates.
-Union fighters at the VI's service, just in case.

"Well, 'e still works. Try ta rig sometin up Saxon." As Saxon got to work, Orion answered the A.I. "Hello Paragon. I'm Head Engineer Sev Orion Me and Engineer Max Saxon. The Janus was destroyed by a strange event, and the Nighthawk was heavily damaged so your JSS buddies on the station asked for help to get you off." As Orion explained this Saxon began to plug in some headsets from the gunship while Copperhead continued to head towards the Maverick Unity.

Click to expand...

"I dont require any external feeds to project audio Saxon and Orion. It is polite to use a form of communication that is isolated from any critical systems when dealing with an artificial inteligence. One does not want it to hack their system and cause problems. Is there any way I can get you to pass a message to one of the communication beacons external to the system we are in?" Says Paragon.

Meanwhile in the Hall. On the JSS coms network. (the following conversation is at a whisper any people directly around and probably the dragons can hear what is being said almost silently on their radios)
"So your telling me that intel did not see this type of risk and mark it in the mission breifing they gave us in the Sol system" complains Connor.
"So were up the creek without a paddle here and everyone thinks were involved with CSAR gone rogue." says Jason.
"What can we do .... Nothing guess ill just sit back down " states Kira annoyedly
"Calm down as of right now we dont have a full picture of the situation. We will cooperate with everyone else here. If Paragon is functioning and rescued once he is informed of the loss of the Janus he will initiate a priority 1 salvage mission. Dave and Rachel will have to come with the ship and bring equipment hopefully enough to either get the NightHawk functional or tow us back to a system that it can fix the damage" calmly states Alex.

"If Doctor Wellington is as capable in her field as you say, them I'm certain that she holds vast knowledge of some your Institutes projects and of your many strengths and weaknesses."

Click to expand...

Takeda barely acknowledged that not-so-subtle remark. He seemed about to formulate a reply, when Tash drew his attention away from Mond and Bobcat with his quite startling revelation about Sol Sector...

..."I kept the Sol System safe for fifty years like the Keepers that came before me... We watched Humanity grow for over one million years... And I believe, even though i sacrificed my ability to fly by retrieving this sword, that Humanity can overcome the hardships that are standing before them and that my little sacrifice will help them to stand up against the coming storm."

Click to expand...

Takeda quietly leaned over to whisper to Dr. Amilar. "When comms are back, see if you can corroborate his claims." It was unlikely that the BRS representative would lie about something like this, but healthy skepticism was the duty of any scientist.

There was little chance to clarify his statement, or continue their conversation at that time, as both were drawn to what Alex had to say. Mond didn't know how to respond to the dragons offer and there was even less time to dwell on it as Shipmaster Karun told of his origins and the link between the BRS and Humanities past. The small ceremonious exchange with General Roberts was the icing on the cake, but with it came a very alert and cautious glance as the sword was placed before the general.

Far too often had such power been given to man and abused. And despite knowing that the Dragons likely meant well, Mond had the displeasure of understanding personally that the power to protect and defend could just as easily be twisted into a means of control. The infighting alone, in humanities efforts to gain access and control of these installations, was surely to come about in time. These thoughts and concerns were born of a violent past and fear of the unknown, but there was some clarity and a well hidden smile under his stern appearance hinting at that there was amusement to be had by these revelations.

"Well, 'e still works. Try ta rig sometin up Saxon." As Saxon got to work, Orion answered the A.I. "Hello Paragon. I'm Head Engineer Sev Orion Me and Engineer Max Saxon. The Janus was destroyed by a strange event, and the Nighthawk was heavily damaged so your JSS buddies on the station asked for help to get you off." As Orion explained this Saxon began to plug in some headsets from the gunship while Copperhead continued to head towards the Maverick Unity.

Click to expand...

"I dont require any external feeds to project audio Saxon and Orion. It is polite to use a form of communication that is isolated from any critical systems when dealing with an artificial inteligence. One does not want it to hack their system and cause problems. Is there any way I can get you to pass a message to one of the communication beacons external to the system we are in?" Says Paragon.

Click to expand...

Orion smiles.

"Well don't worry 'bout that. We're pretty A.I. friendly in the Union. As fer the comms beacons.... One moment." The Engineer then turned to the cockpit. "Copp'ahead! How far can this birds comms go?"

"Well, they ain't reachin' any other star systems, but we can get half way to the nearest star. Hey! Paragon! If you can wait two minutes we'll be landin' soon."

"Ok, Cajun. By the way, ya better strap in." As Copperhead sent out the message, he maneuvered the Dragon into one of the cruiser's cargo docks, where Exo, Maverick, and Unity were apparently waiting. Exo then looked at the box Saxon had carried out.

"So, little lady, why'd we need to get out as fast as we did?" Unity, who projected herself on one of the monitors in the dock with a military beret on, looked at the Dark Gamma pilot.

"To put it bluntly, the CSAR decide to go nuts." Copperhead just shook his head.

"I best get back to the Night then." The pilot soon got back aboard his gunship and began to leave, the odd distorted noise of the Spacial-warp system ringing in the dock as it turned to leave, waiting on the others to for the airlock to open.

Inside the hall, Exo looked at Paragon.

"If you want, Paragon, you can go into our computer system as long as you stay out of the controls. Maverick and Unity could even give you a tour. The pair eyed the officer, who only responded with, "And Cut could use training if want to be an Operator." The two just looked at each other, then back at Exo. Maverick then spoke up.

"We do know all the ins and outs of the system."

Order of Events
Copperhead gets everyone to the Maverick Unity.
Some talk about what's going on.
Exo offers Paragon the ability to enter the ships public systems.

Direwolf Leader was last through the closing door, sealing them off from the main route. Checking his weapons, both still with a mostly full clip, Direwolf Leader turned to the admonishing Varra.

"Well then find us a route instead of shouting and we'll get there faster. Seems the station's still having camera issues. We need to discover where they may be heading on our own. The shuttles are too obvious, they'll be locked down. Where's the closest docking bay along this route? Preferably one that doesn't have a large guard presence. This was planned well in advance, they've likely got someone on the inside."

Back in the Auditorium, Roberts watched the display of Tash presenting the sword to him, letting those in attendance simmer down from this revelation, ask questions and react before he spoke again, lifting the sword from the ground, holding it flat in front of him.

"I thank you for your vote of confidence Tash, but we cannot make this coalition work if we operate alone. I propose this sword and the power it unlocks be left to the Coalition as a whole, to be used when agreed upon. The power to control Earth is too much for one of us to hold, so a more democratic approach would ensure whoever holds this sword can be held to account."

Kharun listened to Roberts words and nodded. He had hoped that burden would be lifted from his shoulders this day but he was ready to carry it a little longer.
"I understand your Reasoning and i Support your decission... In this case i will hold onto the Sword and protect it as i did in the last couple of years until everyone has come to an agreement." the old Shipmaster said before he sheated the sword in it's scabbard and placed it firmly on it's back.
"But there is one thing i will make clear... This Sword is no mean to controll Earth. It's only purpose is to protect it! If anyone tries to warp the purpose of this Key, member of the coalition or otherwise, will surely awake the anger of any Dragon within the B.R.S... And none of you have faced the anger of a Dragon as of yet." With this words of warning, Kharun stepped down from the Podium and took his place between the other Shipmasters again.
Alex watched as Kharun left the Podium. He knew what the older Dragon ment with invoking the Anger of a Dragon by missusing the Key. Earth was important to them and they wanted only to protect it and not put it under the total controll of any single faction. He looked around again to see what impact Kharuns revelations had on the other Delegates but so far they looked rather calm about it. It was a relief for him, at least in the short term because they had still one larger Bomb to drop onto them.
"There is also another gift we have prepared." Alex said after Kharun had taken his seat again. "As for now, everyone of you should be aware of the main defensive System we are using on our Ships. The Gravitation Manipulation Unit or as we call it, the G.M.U... It is a very powerfull System that provides a great deal of utility and one of the greatest tactical advantages that were ever created by the Dragon race." He said while the Pictures on the holographic Windows changed to images taken in Canon Rey and from when the Dragon Ships came online again in the Safe Zone. Projectiles and Ordonance stopped in their Tracks, Munitions that got thrown back towards Ships and the forcefull stopping of the Core Fragment the Dragons recovered outside in the Safe Zone. "This Protection and Versatility comes with a price though... It Prevent's us from working together with Human Forces effectively without us being in the Front of any formation or at least far away from friendly Ships. It also prohibits the ability of Fighter Craft for using our Ships as Cover or reaching their destinations at full speed if they have to avoid a G.M.U. fitted Ship. The Reason for this is that the G.M.U. violently rips apart everything organic within it's effective range." The Holographic Windows disapeared to make room for a larger one where an old research recording was shown. The Date in the upper right corner of the Screen showed a Date that was dated several thousand Years back from the current point in time. It showed a single Dragon lying ontop of a bed comonly used in Dragon research facilitys. "This is a recording of the first successfull activation of the G.M.U. in it's current form." Alex said. "The Dragon you see volunteered for this test because during that time our Race was in dire need of new defensive systems. Our Numbers were drasticly dwindeling and the G.M.U. was one of the few projects that could turn the tide of what was happening during that time." He said while looking up to the Screen. "We didn't knew at the time what the G.M.U. would do to a organic body until it was activated." The Dragon on the Screen gave a thumbs up to the Camera and a short countdown was shown. After the countdown reached Zero, the image just turned red. Alex swiped away the Screen and looked towards the Auditorium. "We first thought we had failed in our Attempt to creat a powerfull new Defensive System until someone from the security detail of the Lab entered the Room... He was wearing one of the oldest pieces of Equipment we Dragons still use today... That was when we discovered that one of the Oldest and most reliable pieces of Technology we posses offered protection against the G.M.U." A new Screen came to life wich showed Seth during his Visit at Canon-Rey since it was a Picture most of the People here were familiar with. "The Suit you saw Seth wearing during the Canon-Rey Incident is one example of this piece of technology." Alex continued. "We call it, the Second Skin Pressure Suit or S.S.P.S. for short." The Picture was split on the Screen to show the Specifications of a Standart S.S.P.S. Suit.
-Life Support Systems that include climate controll, CO2 Converter for constant air supply, pressure adjustment, G.M.U. immunity, waste recycling and a medical unit for emergencys.
-an extensive communication equipment capable of high security, broad wavelenght and FTL communication.
-External pupulsion systems in a very small frame.
-Sensor Equipment that rivaled that of smaller fighter craft.
-a micro plasma generator wich can provide energy to the suit for up to 4 years.
-several layers of protection against small arms fire and some armored pieces in vital areas that also protect against energy based weaponry.
-A neural Network Interface wich runs over the complete surface of the Suit wich is capable of housing an Dragon A.I. up to Knight Grade.
-Light wearer support functions, similiar of that of an exo-skeletton but not as powerfull
-EVA equipment
-Radiation Protection.
It was basicly a small Space Ship that you could wear as a second skin. "We are willing to share the Technology and the means of constructing such Suits with everyone here today with the exception of the micro plasma generator. It would be to easy to convert that piece of equipment into a usable weapon. For that we prepared a replacement in form of a special nano-fiber battery of the same size wich only tunes down the operation time of the Suit to two years instead of four..." He said looking over to the other Delegates. This was the Dragons way to show them that they would go all the way to support Humanity in their Fight against the Sheshir. Giving their greatest weakness into the hands of those they wanted to trust.

Order of Events:
-Kharun understands Roberts and takes the Sword back into his possesion before he left the podium with a warning towards the coalition on his lips.
-Alex picked up the pace again in revealing the Dragons oldest and most advanced tech.
-Some Gore.
-Some Tech Porn.
-And Alex swinging the Nerfbat

Alex stands up and walks towards the center of the auditorium.
"May I have your attention please. I wanted to inform you that we had no knowledge of what CSAR planned. The only intelligence we were given from the intel division was that the planet they are from is in the middle of a civil war and that this delegation had to come in secret. We were not allowed to scan any of their belongings or enter their rooms. This left us as much in the dark about their true purpose here in this system. At this time I believe for everyone's saftey that someone take us into custody to prove that we mean no one here any harm." "Team please place your weapons on the chair and walk into the aisle with your hands on your head." "Thank you for your time. I hope that you will be able to trust us in time." Finishes Alex as he goes and stands with his team in a line hands on their heads.

"If you want, Paragon, you can go into our computer system as long as you stay out of the controls. Maverick and Unity could even give you a tour. The pair eyed the officer, who only responded with, "And Cut could use training if want to be an Operator." The two just looked at each other, then back at Exo. Maverick then spoke up.

"We do know all the ins and outs of the system."

Click to expand...

"If you could find me a power port and data port somewhere out of the way that I can be plugged in to the network to talk with the other AI here. I promise not to go anywhere I shouldn't. A hard wired port will also allow you to trace where I am going compared to a wireless connection." Says Paragon.

Order of Events.
-Alex appologizes for what they brought to the system.
-Offers surrender to gain peoples trust.
-Paragon asks to be plugged in.

In the Convention Center, Bobcat was practically drooling at the tech the dragons showed, ignoring the horror show before hand, the the other's couldn't, particularly Clarkson. Clarkson also took notice of what Kharun says, and looks over to Jany.

"I have ta say, that Kharun's got a good head on 'is shoulders." His fellow ambassador simply nodded before the entire Union delegation was shocked by the JSS. They gave up their weapons and put their hands on their heads, as if they were POWs. Kight found the sight quiet powerful, something that, along with the speech, proved where the group stood as far as the CSAR and the coalition. So the fleet commander walked up, with Zenav in tow, carrying some data sticks in his hand. The ambassador then began to speak.

"With so many willing to share their technology, I guess it's no surprise that the Union would have something for the rest of the factions, though for the KAE, Dragons, and C-1 specifically. The Dragons have already offered their own A.I. technology, but the Union would still like to offer our own A.I. system to the present factions, on the condition that A.I. created with this system aren't treated with less dignity then you would treat a person. Along with this, a sort of call to help us. While the Union has used sentient A.I. for decades, none of us, not even the A.I., know how it works. Their code, depending on whether or not the individual was a Smart A.I. before hand, is two thirds structural coding and either one third anomalous coding, or one fifth anomalous coding with the rest being the original Smart A.I. code. The reason it is call anomalous coding is the fact that it shouldn't work. We've studied it for years, but...no one has figured it out yet. Dr. Hunter, the man who created the structural code, called it a soul since, coding wise, the added code makes no sense. None the less, Human A.I. still live, and we do not know how. So we brought these data sticks to give you. They contain the structural code and the A.I. creation system, along with copies of code from a former Smart A.I., a 'born' Human A.I., and a pair of Twinned Human A.I.." Kight then stepped up, looking at the JSS.

"While I can't speak for everyone here, you aren't responsible for the CSAR's action. You were tricked, not helping them." He then looked at Clarckson, who gave the young man a nod. "And you you weren't the only ones to have it happen. We had our own issues follow us here, and it temporarily cost one of my marines her hearing." Diez gave Kight an angry look, seeming to want to kill him. "With that in mind, I don't believe you'll need to be locked up."
--------------

"If you could find me a power port and data port somewhere out of the way that I can be plugged in to the network to talk with the other AI here. I promise not to go anywhere I shouldn't. A hard wired port will also allow you to trace where I am going compared to a wireless connection." Says Paragon.

Click to expand...

Aboard the Mav-U, Exo smiled as the A.I. spoke.

"Hook him up Saxon. Orion, get back to engineering." With that, Paragon was hooked into the system and soon greeted by Maverick and Unity. The female A.I. was the first to speak.

"Hello Paragon. I'm Unity and he's my brother, Maverick. Exo wanted us to show you around, if you want us to that is."

Order of Events
Bobcat goes ga-ga over tech.
Clarkson and Jany talk about what just happened.
Zanev offers the faction the Unions Human A.I..
Kight talks about the JSS and the event from earlier.
Paragon is hooked up and the twins introduce themselves, offering a tour.

"With so many willing to share their technology, I guess it's no surprise that the Union would have something for the rest of the factions, though for the KAE, Dragons, and C-1 specifically.

Click to expand...

Mond took notice when Zenav mentioned the C-1. It was a questionable gaze but quickly went placid as he continued to speak.

'Far too many...' He thought as he started thinking about how generous everyone was being with their own unique technologies. Though from his position the influx of additional technological breakthroughs for his company from these other factions was unquestionably beneficial, it was quickly reaching a point where it was almost expected of the C-1 to share something of their own; this of course went against everything the C-1 had built upon. He started thinking as he continued down this train of thought... who could he trust with anything the C-1 might have to offer.

It was already possible that the greater threat, the very one that they had all met to discuss, had infiltrated this meeting somehow. An attack of such magnitude that it put all of their fleets in disarray, the CSAR, and everything else going on. Why wouldn't anyone expect that the Seshir weren't somehow in this very room?

The Dragons have already offered their own A.I. technology, but the Union would still like to offer our own A.I. system to the present factions, on the condition that A.I. created with this system aren't treated with less dignity then you would treat a person. Along with this, a sort of call to help us. While the Union has used sentient A.I. for decades, none of us, not even the A.I., know how it works. Their code, depending on whether or not the individual was a Smart A.I. before hand, is two thirds structural coding and either one third anomalous coding, or one fifth anomalous coding with the rest being the original Smart A.I. code. The reason it is call anomalous coding is the fact that it shouldn't work. We've studied it for years, but...no one has figured it out yet. Dr. Hunter, the man who created the structural code, called it a soul since, coding wise, the added code makes no sense. None the less, Human A.I. still live, and we do not know how. So we brought these data sticks to give you. They contain the structural code and the A.I. creation system, along with copies of code from a former Smart A.I., a 'born' Human A.I., and a pair of Twinned Human A.I.."

Click to expand...

As Zenav's speech came to a close, Mond stood there for a very long while; contemplating if he should respond at all...

'No,' He thought, 'Not now...'

Order OF Events:
-Mond questions whether he should follow the others examples...
-Now is not the time.
-Letting Kight handle the JSS.

"Well then find us a route instead of shouting and we'll get there faster. Seems the station's still having camera issues. We need to discover where they may be heading on our own. The shuttles are too obvious, they'll be locked down. Where's the closest docking bay along this route? Preferably one that doesn't have a large guard presence. This was planned well in advance, they've likely got someone on the inside."

Click to expand...

Varra clenched her teeth, resisting the urge to yell at the trigger-happy soldier. "We're not heading toward any of the docking bays, I don't think. Just maintenance areas, utility plants...I don't know the tunnels.... Wait, here we go"

She spotted an information panel on the wall, tapping a few buttons to bring up a map of the tunnels. She scrolled it sideways, showing nothing but tunnels, tunnels, and more-- Several tunnels converged ahead to show a large room marked "Drydock 1A"...

"They might be heading for the Trotsky... But they'd never crew a Guardian with so few people..." She looked more closely at the tunnels. "Wait, the whole area is locked down, but some of the bulkheads are jammed. That shouldn't happen." Curiously, the jammed-open bulkheads appeared in a sequence, creating a path directly toward the Drydock. That path seemed to be reachable in a round-about fashion from their current location.

"Then they must have a ship and crew waiting. We need to stop them from getting the Doctor on board, what's the fastest route we can take to them?"

Direwolf Leader rechecked his weapon, making sure it was in perfect condition. The moisture from the hot steam glistened on it's surface, but it seemed otherwise unaffected by the experience. Expecting more firefights and the possibility of exposure to vacuum with every stray shot, Direwolf Leader's helmet folded over his head, sealing himself in as small vents opened across the suit's chest area, drawing in air from the surrounding area and keeping it's on-board oxygen supply at peak levels. Looking up, Direwolf Leader waited for a route, knowing time was short.

Back at the Auditorium, Roberts listened in respectful silence as the factions began to open up and showcase their gifts to each other, first the BRS, then the Union respectively. The SSPS suits and the Union's advanced AI would allow massive advancements in the Coalition's infrastructure and give the Sheshir something to worry about. The JSS group surrendering was unexpected, but Roberts could easily see they were not involved in this plot. Letting everyone talk, Roberts spoke himself, first to the JSS crew.

"I think your presence here lets us know the CSAR forces didn't intend to involve you in their plan, or they would have taken you with them. I have no doubt you are innocent in this situation. As for the technology you have elected to share, this Coalition will work best when we avoid secrets, so I thank you both for being so forthcoming. I see several applications for both the suits and the AI algorithms already. KAE's resources and manpower is our contribution to the Coalition. As some of you may know, KAE maintains some of the most defensible positions in our sector, not least of which our home systems in the Bloodfire Nebula, along with one of the largest armies and largest accounts to date. We can put those resources to work and allow you all to expand your respective armies to strengthen the Coalition through funding and raw materials. A wise man said that a chain is only as strong as it's weakest link. Our intention is to strengthen every link in this chain of ours until the Sheshir find it unbreakable.

To that effect, I propose that, in the inevitable meetings to come if we are to make such an undertaking, our first order of business would be to set up an early warning system throughout occupied space. A combination of shared communications outposts and patrol routes through dangerous areas of space would suffice to warn us of impending attack and to deal with any other threats. Those newer to our bubble of space may not know that there are many dangers beyond just the Sheshir many of us have had to contend with. Between raiders, warring factions, cosmic dangers and all manner of unexplained phenomena, the Sheshir is just a new face on an old set of targets."

Alex was glad that he finaly got at least this bit of his list done and stepped off the Podium to let others talk. The Offering of the Nebulanic Union was intriguing but not something the Dragons would need. Their A.I. couldn't go any further as they already did and their abilitys could reach an extend that only could be described as Magic. Still, he smiled because of that offer. The JSS Crew was a completely different matter that they had to attend. They couldn't know what would happen at this Gathering and that their Employers would turn against the gathered Factions.

"The General is right." Tash said towards the JSS Crew. "You don't have to take the responsebility for something that was out of your power anyway. Stand up, relax, grab a coffee or something and let others handle what the CSAR Delegation has gotten itself into." The larger Dragon said with a smile before looking over to the East Wing. "But speaking of handling, I go and look how Malaryk is doing and if he can hitch me a ride." Tash said before leaving the Auditorium to look after Malaryk.

Alex looked after his brother and was a little bit puzzled of what he could mean.
"You should recall the Fleet..." Kharun said standing next to Alex. "Your Brother has a Plan and I think I know what he want's to do." The older Dragon crossed his Arms in front of his Chest looking after the larger Dragon himself.
"Well if you say so Old Man." Alex said and wrote a short message for the Fleet wich was currently hiding in Subspace. "I just Hope he doesn't do anything reckless." Alex said before Chereza chuckled and poked him with her Elbow "It's your Brother we are talking about. He knows what he's doing. Not like some easily startled Fleetmaster I know." She said, the last sentence just whispered. Alex rolled his Eyes about that.

Viridian System; Safe Zone.
It was awfully quite in the Safe Zone since the Dragon Fleet disapeared from their Positions in such an hurry but now sensors would pick up the wierd anomalys again that announce the arrival of a BRS Ship. Silently, the green and white painted Ships of the Silverdragon Researchfleet emerged again out of those Anomalys and take a Place roughly in the Centre of the Safe Zone, the 100m long Banners still attached to the actualy Manned Ships of the Fleet.

Order Of Events:
-Tash trys to Cheer Up the JSS a little.
-Tash goes of to the East Hall to look after Malaryk
-Alex recalls the fleet via text message.
-The Fleet Returns.

"Hook him up Saxon. Orion, get back to engineering." With that, Paragon was hooked into the system and soon greeted by Maverick and Unity. The female A.I. was the first to speak.

"Hello Paragon. I'm Unity and he's my brother, Maverick. Exo wanted us to show you around, if you want us to that is."

Click to expand...

Im sure you probably want to know how I came into being and the like.
Sadly when others became aware of myself and I became aware of other life on the station happened at the same time. I do not know if there was a creator. I was told by the people sitting in the auditorium that they found out I existed by backtracing the data packets that were reading through the library system on the network and that the highest traffic was D&D and fantasy books. Thats how I chose the name Paragon from an old D&D manual.

So my questions for you my fellow AI are.

How did you come into being if its not classified?
How do these humans treat you?
What role do you serve with these people?

Order of Events.
-Team goes and sits down.
-Paragon talks a bit about his past.
-Paragon asks Unity and Maveric questions.

"But speaking of handling, I go and look how Malaryk is doing and if he can hitch me a ride." Tash said before leaving the Auditorium to look after Malaryk.

Click to expand...

Diez, who was still standing by to door, watched as the dragon left. The marine was tempted to follow, but Diez didn't get far out the door when she noticed a man nearby. Something seemed...off and she took a few steps towards him.

It was awfully quite in the Safe Zone since the Dragon Fleet disapeared from their Positions in such an hurry but now sensors would pick up the wierd anomalys again that announce the arrival of a BRS Ship. Silently, the green and white painted Ships of the Silverdragon Researchfleet emerged again out of those Anomalys and take a Place roughly in the Centre of the Safe Zone, the 100m long Banners still attached to the actualy Manned Ships of the Fleet.

Click to expand...

The Union CICs lit up as the BRS fleet slip back into the safe zone, and the Dark Gamma pilots looked in awe from their cockpits. Exo quickly had the crew set an open channel so he could greet them.

"BRS Fleet, this is Maverick Unity. Glad to have you back."

Meanwhile, from his fighter, Komodo simply smiled. He hoped there wouldn't be any running this time. Others in the Union may not have cared, but he had seen pilots loose their lives from someone running, and he honestly didn't know if he trusted them.

After waiting to see how everyone reacted the Alex's Team sits back down and puts the batons back in their belt pouches.

var rm = "read_more ..."; var o = "... Read Less"; var adjustheight = 20; // 20; // Im sure you probably want to know how I came into being and the like.
Sadly when others became aware of myself and I became aware of other life on the station happened at the same time. I do not know if there was a creator. I was told by the people sitting in the auditorium that they found out I existed by backtracing the data packets that were reading through the library system on the network and that the highest traffic was D&D and fantasy books. Thats how I chose the name Paragon from an old D&D manual.

So my questions for you my fellow AI are.

How did you come into being if its not classified?
How do these humans treat you?
What role do you serve with these people?

Click to expand...

Maverick gave a slight chuckle as he heard where Paragon's name came from, only the fell his twin's elbow in his gut. Maverick then gave a more serious look at the questions asked, and he was quick to answer them.

"Well the last two aren't that hard to explain. We're treated as equals by most humans. Actually, a persons viewed as either crazy or weird if they think other wise. As for our role, original we supplemented the low population of the Union and do more of the heavy lifting calculation wise. As time went on, they made us more and more like them, until we became what are today, essentially no different mentality then humans, other then often being able to think faster. So our role now is basically the same as any human. As for our formation, that's where things get tricky." At this point, Maverick turned to Unity, signaling for her to explain it. The female A.I. just shook her head, and began to explain it.

"Yeah. The human who designed the structural coding to all current A.I., Dr. Hunter, he never thought this would be the result. To avoid all the boring details, it was just supposed to upgrade Smarts and give them a more human fell if emotions, even be able to break from their programming. It worked as an upgrade, but it could be useful to create a new class of A.I.. Human A.I.." Unity then shows Paragon the structural code as she continues. "You basically run this code through the integration program he created to bind it to a Smart and you get A.I. like us, created by a set of random and, for lack of a better term, errored coding that can't be copied. It also happened when Smarts were changed to Human A.I., before they were all updated. This random coding also means we can have mental issues and what not, like any human, and some of our own unique issues, like Twinned A.I.." Unity then took a "breath" before finishing. "So, any other questions?"

Order of Events:
-Diez finds someone outside the auditorium.
-People react to the Dragons' return.
-Maverick and Unity explain Human A.I. to Paragon.

"Of course." He responded, playing down the fact that he obviously suffered some issues with his leg. At the same time he scrutinized Diez's uniform and insignia, knowing instantly to which faction she belonged.

"I'd heard that there was a gathering of sorts." He commented while working to unscrew the cap of his flask. Looking back towards where the dragon had wondered off to, he added as he took a sip. "Curious, isn't it?".

"Ten steps ahead of ya. Got it online. Accessing the hook... Wait for it..." Dozens of eyes were locked on the three geeks, waiting for the good news. It came. "We're in! Counter-sec active. Purging the root code..."

"Get me a scan on the core, rings three and down!"

"Running... Picked up a few fragments... Clean!"

"Four to six?"

"Still solid."

"Seven and up?"

"Clean!"

The rest of the staff let out a brief cheer before the shift commander's stare shut them down. "I want verification. Are we secure? Check it off."

"Alright," the shift commander said with a smile, calling out triumphantly... "Bring it up!"

Fermi Dome Six, Dalton Center

The emergency lighting faded as the standard room lighting came back on. The roof of the dome disappeared, replaced by a bright blue holographic sky. The access panels powered on, and the display screens lit up with the live news broadcast.

A news anchor sat behind a desk, chatting idly with an off-screen colleague. He looked up suddenly as the studio lights turned on, and shooed his friend away before turning to face the camera. "Ladies and gentlemen, it seems we're back on the air. I'm receiving reports from the CSC that all of the station's computers are up and running again. It's going to take more than a little rock to shut down the Sanctuary!" Cheering could be heard from the camera crew. "Station security is requesting that all civilians avoid public areas, if at all possible, for the next two hours, while emergency crews perform safety checks. Now, let's go to Bruce..... One moment while he... yes, let's go to Bruce with a report on the cause of this eventful day. Bruce?"

"About time," Takeda muttered before rising to his feet and raising his voice. "Friends, it seems the Sanctuary is back in business. I encourage you to check in with your fleets and reassure them that everyone is safe and sound. If anyone requires transport, your shuttles should be available in the docking ring, and utility ships will be made available to assist with any repairs. On behalf of the Institute, I apologize for the inconvenience." He returned to his seat, speaking quietly to his colleagues.

Dalton Center, East Hall

Malaryk pored over the map, barely allowing anyone to tend to his wound. He looked up briefly as the screens came on with news reports. "Finally! Get me a layout on that monitor," he barked. "Get the cameras online in the maintenance tunnels below Fermi sector, and bring up feeds of anyone without a registered tag."

Leta Velasquez was already dancing her fingers over her datapad. "I have them. Display grids 104-59 and 102-31."

A tunnel layout was already displaying on the big screen, replacing the news broadcast, and two inset video feeds came up in opposite corners. One showed Lt. Danielle Varra leading the way through a tunnel, followed by a couple allies from the KAE and UFSS. The other showed Dr. Maria Wellington, surrounded by a group in full body armor and led by..."

Malaryk didn't hesitate. He just tapped his communicator and barked more orders. "DomeCon, this is Malaryk. Issue a security alert and arrest order for Anastasia Veselova, diplomatic office. Revoke all system access and dispatch three armed security teams to her location. Tell them to expect heavy resistance." He barely waited for an acknowledgement before terminating the call and turning back to the others. "Where are they going?"

"Not to the shuttle bays," Leta reasoned, scanning the map. "Not the maintenance bays... How are they planning to get her off the station? Wait... What's that?" She pointed to a few red lines on the map. "I locked down that whole sector, but those doors are open! Look, it's a path leading straight to... The Trotsky?"

Maintenance Tunnel 102-31-Alpha

"The direct route is blocked," Varra called out while running along the tunnel, "but if we head this way--" Just as she was about to turn, one of the doors ahead started to slide upward, while the other visible doors remained on lockdown. "Nope, this way!" She gave a wave to the nearest camera, hurrying to the moving door. "Computers must be up. DomeCon has our backs." She tapped her communicator. "Still no signal down here, but they must have security teams on the way."

Maintenance Tunnel 104-59-Bravo

Anastasia led the CSAR team and their hostage down the last few corridors. "Computers are back online, but it is far too late. We're here."

The tunnel suddenly opened up into a massive chamber. I mean seriously massive. Like, massive enough to hold an entire Guardian-class battleship. Which was probably a good thing, because that's exactly what it contained. Taking up about two thirds of the immense drydock was the VI Trotsky, the spitting image of the lurking giant the CSAR troops may have spotted in the asteroid field on their way into the station. The running lights were already on, and despite the presence of plenty of construction equipment, there wasn't a human being in sight. The platform was marked with hazard lines, signaling the edge of the artificial gravity field, and numerous construction drones and maintenance lifts floated in open air outside of that region, tethers connecting them to struts protruding from the walls and ceiling. The floor was a massive pressure door, a long way below, dotted with large windows showing the dense asteroid field outside.

The Trotsky itself hovered outside of the gravity field, of course, on the far side of the drydock, a boarding ramp connecting it to the platform a few hundred meters away. A vacant area, large enough for a few smaller ships to be serviced, stood between the squad and their destination, the platform hooking around the perimeter. One person, barely visible at this distance, emerged from the hatch of the battleship and waved for them to approach. "My people are ready. The Trotsky will take us out of the asteroid field, and your ships will escort it to the jump gate."

Roberts wasted no time and tapped the comms device on his wrist, the Warstalker's communications console lighting up. The Warstalker was limping from the energy discharge, but thus far had not lost containment. Toth had been overseeing repairs ever since, the KAE forces clustered in a loose formation to the side of the main group, flying leisurely as they tended to their wounds as best they could. Happy at the thought of some news, Toth nodded to the Communications Officer, opening the channel to Roberts.

"General, we were worried when you didn't report in, what is happening?"

"We have been sabotaged, the CSAR delegation has taken a hostage and is trying to exfiltrate with them, Spread out the fleet into a wide pattern and keep an eye out for any vessel attempting to leave the station, they must not get a clear line to warp out of the system. Broadcast this information to any vessels still capable of combat, we are taking no chances. Use whatever methods necessary to stop anyone from leaving."

"Understood sir, they will not get past us. Communications, open a comm channel, open frequency."

The Comms Officer nodded his acknowledgement, broadcasting on a broad spectrum to ensure the myriad vessels would receive the message no matter what frequency they were using. With any luck, some would still be relatively unscathed by the previous incident.

"This is Toth, acting Commander of the Warstalker to all vessels. We have received information that a hostage situation has broken out on Sanctuary orchestrated by the CSAR delegation, our forces are moving to blockade the exits out of the Asteroid field and would appreciate any help you may provide in preventing any vessel from leaving the station. Toth out."

Meanwhile in Sanctuary itself, Direwolf Leader was close behind Varra as she led them to the CSAR forces. Actuators in his suit allowed him to run without tiring, not engaging them to full speed yet so as to not overtake Varra. Keeping his weapon in hand, he fully expected them to have very little time to act, owing to the lead the CSAR group held, and expected a firefight once they found them. Wracking his brain for a moment, he came up with an idea, calling out to Varra as he closed his suit's helmet and faceplate, his voice modulated through the Suit's communicator.

"Varra, I have a plan, but I'll need you both to keep the CSAR distracted for a few seconds, are there any alternative routes on our way to that Drydock that come out at another angle? If so, download the shortest alternative route onto my visor. Once you see the CSAR, start firing, just to keep them from moving or seeing me for a few seconds, no need to really hit them."

It looked like for Tash that he made the right decision to leave the Auditorium to look after Commander Malaryk since he just announced the heading of the Kidnappers and from what Tash heard it sounded like they found a ship to get of the Station. For him it was rather perfect since he was hatching a plan already to get the Professor out of the CSAR's filthy paws. "Good to know we finaly have some Intel." He said good hearable as he approaches Commander Malaryk. The tall Dragon was crossing his Arms before his Chest while approaching the still wounded Commander while Sha and Seth desperately tried to desinfect his wounds and bandage them. "Commander, you think you could make one of the Shuttles ready for me in about 2 Minutes? I have to meet up with the fleet and make my troops ready. Also, if you would be so kind i would like to know what the Trotsky is and what resistance we can count with when we board it." While the Dragon talked he spread the feeling of confidence. He had no doubt they would be successfull in board the Ship, whatever class it would be. The Fireborn are trained in many kinds of boarding actions and the Silverdragon Research Fleet had the Tech necessary to make this OP a success.

Viridian System; Safe Zone
The Silverdragon Research Fleet recieved the Message from the Warstalker and there was little hesitation in the Dragon Fleet to help the Efforts. "This is Shipmaster Syra Dars. The Silverdragon Research Fleet will assist you Warstalker!" Syra was still struck with the loss of her Pilot but she had recieved a message from her Brother that the Fleet would be set under command of Tash sooner then later and that they should prepare a Blockade just in case the need would arise. Now, since their Human Alies requested the Aid in forming a Blockade between the Nebula and the Jumpgate, they were happy to oblige. The Seven combat relative Ships of the Fleet spread out in a Line between the Jumpgate and the Nebula. "Link us up with the other Ships, High security Lines." Syra ordered looking over the Bow of her Carrier while it was moving into position. Since Styx, she hadn't seen any action but now she was determined to get the job done. "Commander Toth," She adressed the Commander of the Warstalker directly. "The Silverdragon Researchfleet is moving into position. The Drachenherz is going to establish a secure communications network between the Ships of the Operation. Please link your Comm-Systems to her and if necessary get ready to synchronize your targeting systems with her as well. As for your Fighter Wing, since we have some Time on our Hands, i would like to welcome them aboard one by one to equip them with some protective Gear so they can actively use our GMU's as Cover." She said while the Formation came to a halt. Their GMU's were now deactivated but it was obvious that the Silverdragons would like to form the Head of the Blockade and to be honest, what would be better for a Blockade then a line of ships that projected a nearly 2km wide field of invisible painfull death and the ability to stop the Ships that would like to breach the Blockade with powerfull Gravity Fields. "Extend my offer to the other Fighter Wings out there as well if they don't want to fly around the GMU fields all the time." She Said to Toth again before the Line got closed and she ordered the Drachenfeuer II's Fighter Wing as well as the 4 Escort Fighters of the Frigates to Launch. The Line of the Dragon Fleet contained every combat ready Ship of the Dragon Fleet. The Carrier and the Cruiser in the Middle roughly 500m apart from eachother. In between them, nestled between the overlapping GMU Fields once activatred, waited the Corvette R-type. The Two capital Ships were flanked by the Seraz on the left and the Cheana on the right. Next to each of them waited another Corvette, the Gradius and the Ikaruga. The Dragons Transport Ship was making her way behind the large Core Piece to hide from the battle and eventualy jumping into Subspace if something would happen. For the Wissensdurst however, the Science Ship launched itself into Subspace just to reapear seconds later on the opposite Side of the C-1 Second Contingent below the System. "Extending FTL Sensor Range." Came the Voice of Askor over the Comms-Channels. "I will warn you if something is comming towards the Viridian System unannounced." He was calm even though it was the first time he was actively contributing to a Combat Scenario.

Order of Events:
-The Beacon of Hope enters the East Hall.
-The Silverdragon Reaserchfleet is drawing the Line.
-Syra starts coordinating and offers new Clothes to other Flyboys.
-The Drachenfeuer II launches the Dragons Fighter Contingent.
-The Drachental Hides behind a rock.
-The Wissensdurst relocates itself and will provide Overwatch.

The emergency lighting faded as the standard room lighting came back on. The roof of the dome disappeared, replaced by a bright blue holographic sky. The access panels powered on, and the display screens lit up with the live news broadcast.

Click to expand...

Mond looked up from where he stood as the lights powered on. As the station appeared to be returning to normal operation, he locked eyes with Kedra where she was conversing with one of the security officers at the edge of the auditorium. Instinctively she began towards him as Mond gestured for the others of the C-1 delegation who had remained seated until then to prepare to move out.

"Friends, it seems the Sanctuary is back in business. I encourage you to check in with your fleets and reassure them that everyone is safe and sound. If anyone requires transport, your shuttles should be available in the docking ring, and utility ships will be made available to assist with any repairs. On behalf of the Institute, I apologize for the inconvenience." He returned to his seat, speaking quietly to his colleagues.

Click to expand...

After rallying his group, Mond took a few short steps to bid their host a proper farewell.

"Councilman," he said to Takeda "On behalf of the C-1 Corporation and myself, I would like to thank you for the hospitality your Institute has shown us." He paused momentarily. "This has been a most eventful assembly." The word was hesitant and obviously so as Mond turned to ensure that they were indeed ready to leave. "If the opportunity permits, I'm certain that our two organizations could benefit greatly from one another."
Above it all, Just Outside of the Solar System

"This is Toth, acting Commander of the Warstalker to all vessels. We have received information that a hostage situation has broken out on Sanctuary orchestrated by the CSAR delegation, our forces are moving to blockade the exits out of the Asteroid field and would appreciate any help you may provide in preventing any vessel from leaving the station. Toth out."

Click to expand...

The call to arms was receive by the C-1 fleet, but at present they were too far away to do anything meaningful and they had not yet been given permission to mobilize within the system. Regardless, Venice gave the order for the combat ships to prepare to enter battle; considering that the fleet had already mobilized, this was a moot point. Of course with the command came a brief debate whether or not to deploy the Halicrast.

"That is too risky." Venice stated, abruptly ending Bastion's query. "Have the Halicrast to remain with the transports, load kinetic torpedoes and have the Raiders standby." There was a moments hesitation from Bastion as Venice gave the order to load the kinetic torpedo's; in general, HE was always preferred. But it didn't take him long to figure out that Venice was being cautious. Considering the incident with the Dragons, it was probably wise. "And give the order to all ships to prepare for immediate FTL."

"Confirmed." Bastion responded as he followed through with the commands.

"This is Toth, acting Commander of the Warstalker to all vessels. We have received information that a hostage situation has broken out on Sanctuary orchestrated by the CSAR delegation, our forces are moving to blockade the exits out of the Asteroid field and would appreciate any help you may provide in preventing any vessel from leaving the station. Toth out."

Click to expand...

Aboard the Maverick Unity, Exo listened intently, he quickly told the crewman on comms to use an open channel to respond to the Warstalker.

"Warstalker, this is Executive Officer Smith of the Union Cruiser Maverick Unity. We are ready to assist you with our vessels. Preparing to enter formation behind the BRS fleet now." As the Union vessels began to move, Exo called Maverick back to the bridge. When the A.I. made his way to the bridge, Exo told him what was happening and told him to get on the helm.

The Union vessels then began to form up behind the Dragon formation, far enough back not to be killed by the GMU fields. The Mav-U positioned itself on the center line, while the Silent Hunter and Aurora Borealis positioned themselves on either side the cruiser, giving enough distance between them, their flagship, and the Dragon fleet to give enough room to quickly turn and chase if needed. The Dark Night, on the other hand, moved towards the gate.

"Extend my offer to the other Fighter Wings out there as well if they don't want to fly around the GMU fields all the time."

Click to expand...

Hearing this, Komodo quickly took to the comms, leading his fighters towards the Dragon carrier.

"This is Komodo, commander of the Dark Gamma Squadron. We have at least four fighters already ready to accept the offer, and Triana will probably send more. Do A.I. need anything to withstand the GMUs of yours?"

Having followed intently as the dragon passed by, the man casually looked to the Union Lieutenant when spoken to.

"Of course." He responded, playing down the fact that he obviously suffered some issues with his leg. At the same time he scrutinized Diez's uniform and insignia, knowing instantly to which faction she belonged.

"I'd heard that there was a gathering of sorts." He commented while working to unscrew the cap of his flask. Looking back towards where the dragon had wondered off to, he added as he took a sip. "Curious, isn't it?".

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Diez looked down at her pad, trying to figure out what to think of the man. He was strange, and it was hard to tell what he thought of the event. She gave a short sigh, before speaking.

"Varra, I have a plan, but I'll need you both to keep the CSAR distracted for a few seconds, are there any alternative routes on our way to that Drydock that come out at another angle? If so, download the shortest alternative route onto my visor. Once you see the CSAR, start firing, just to keep them from moving or seeing me for a few seconds, no need to really hit them."

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Varra slowed for a moment, looking at the nearest area map on the wall as she passed it. "Doors are still sealed, and no wireless comms down here!" She could always stop and use one of the wall consoles to contact DomeCon and open a path, but that would waste precious time. "Can't clear a--"

"Opening a flanking route. To your left." A female voice came through the intercoms nearest the pursuers. On cue, a door slid open just ahead of DL, and others were already opening behind it to give him a clear route.

"Leta? That you?" She looked up at the nearest camera, seeing it swivel to track her as she ran past it.

"You should hurry. They've reached the dock, and the Trotsky isn't responding. Security teams are enroute, but they won't make it in time. Good luck."

Dalton Center, East Hall

Leta ended her broadcast, keeping the cameras on her display. One screen followed DL, one followed Varra, and the third showed the CSAR team in the drydock with their hostage and the traitor. Commander Malaryk gave her an approving nod, wincing slightly as his wounds were dressed. He paid little attention to Sha and Seth. He couldn't let himself be distracted from the operation.

"Commander, you think you could make one of the Shuttles ready for me in about 2 Minutes? I have to meet up with the fleet and make my troops ready. Also, if you would be so kind i would like to know what the Trotsky is and what resistance we can count with when we board it."

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The woman at the monitor spoke before he could reply. "Aristotle, this is Velasquez. Prep for transit." Malaryk had to admit, Leta was damned efficient. He gave her another nod before turning to Tash. "Did you see the Wallace lurking in the asteroid field on your way in? Well, the Trotsky is the newest addition to that line of battleships. I can't disclose full specs, but..."
He hesitated for just a moment, trying to determine how much he could safely reveal. His fingers danced over the panel, and one of the large wall screens lit up with an 'overhead' view of the Viridian System. The twin suns sat in the middle, the asteroid field formed a ring around them (The exact location of the Sanctuary was not displayed), and a translucent red circle extended just beyond the asteroids, showing the danger zone for ships not equipped with the heavy radiation shielding used by the VI. An icon some distance beyond that marked the jump gate, and various colored points showed the positions of the various fleets (Not including the C-1 fleet outside the system).
"The Guardian-class vessels use translocation drives, not the warp drives you've seen on the Nikola and her shuttles. Blockading the Trotsky won't work. She's designed to hop around the asteroid field with precision jumps, so her FTL charges fast but has a short reach." He tapped a few more commands into the panel, drawing a green circle on the map, centered on the approximate location of the sanctuary. It stretched about a third of the way to the jump gate. "That's about as far as she should be able to make it in a single jump. She's not in full operation yet, so we haven't verified her limits yet, but I think it'll take her three jumps to reach the gate."

"If we do have to board her..." He sighed, not liking the idea of allowing an attack on one of his own ships. "She's not designed for combat in open space. Most of her firepower is in front. The sides are only lightly screened. Just... do NOT face her head-on. If you give her a clear line with one of the main cannons..." He shivered a bit, shaking his head. "There's a reason we keep the Wallace parked near the approach path. The pirates still piss themselves when they talk about the last time we fired one of those things."

"Councilman," he said to Takeda "On behalf of the C-1 Corporation and myself, I would like to thank you for the hospitality your Institute has shown us." He paused momentarily. "This has been a most eventful assembly." The word was hesitant and obviously so as Mond turned to ensure that they were indeed ready to leave. "If the opportunity permits, I'm certain that our two organizations could benefit greatly from one another."

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Takeda gave a diplomatic nod. "That is my hope as well. I must apologize for today's... events. We have tried to provide a safe and secure environment for the conference, but there are some things that simply can't be anticipated."

Once Mond turned away, Takeda glanced down at his pad. Messages were streaming in from all over the station. All of the top-level administrative departments were giving status reports, and he would have to deal with all of that paperwork later. For now, he focused primarily on the reports from Malaryk's current operation. The Trotsky was unresponsive, the CSAR troops were approaching it, and Malaryk and the BRS were laying plans to re-acquire it. An unfortunate situation, to say the least.

Keeping his expression calm, he tapped out a short message to Councilman Resier, who traditionally oversaw the security forces. Ready the Guardians. If Trotsky not recoverable, destroy it. The other man glanced at his communicator, obviously receiving the covert message, and casually stood, making his way out of the room to find a less public place from which to coordinate things. A drastic action, certainly, but Takeda wasn't prepared to allow VI weapons tech to pass to the other factions. The Kos Arks contained everything they were willing to share. But the weaponry found in the Guardians.... No.

ORDER OF EVENTS
* Varra can't open another path for DL... But Leta can! Good thing those security cameras capture audio.
* Leta has the Aristotle prepped for Tash
* Malaryk gives up the goods on the Trotsky, particularly those mass drivers
* Takeda replies to Mond, then covertly orders the Trotsky destroyed if not recovered

Without a word, Direwolf Leader swerved into the new path, the servos in his armour propelling him forward, almost as fast as the doors were opening. Without needing to keep close to the others, there was no longer a need to hold back, his speed more than doubling as he followed the path, grabbing onto the walls to help with the tighter turns without breaking his speed. As he reached a long straight he commed Varra, holding his weapon in the other hand without breaking his stride.

"Varra, I'll need a distraction. Keep that CSAR group pinned down for as long as you can."

Back on the Warstalker, Toth was receiving acknowledgements from all sides for help with the blockade, even an offer of suits to fly through the GMU. With a nod to his Comms Officer to sync his comms with the Drachenherz's secure network, Toth had a channel opened to the Silverdragon Research Fleet. All across the Warstalker's interior, crew were frantically moving back and forth, munitions being loaded into each turret and forward rocket pod at breakneck speed as the well-practiced and disciplined crew set to work with almost inhuman efficiency, not a word or movement was wasted as the Helmsman plotted a course just behind the Silverdragon vessels, keeping the damaged facing of the Warstalker hidden.

"Warstalker to Drachenherz. Acknowledged, but we fear time is short, the CSAR might rush the blockade at any moment and we have too many pilots to do one by one no matter how fast. Extend the GMU range as much as possible, aim to cripple their propulsion systems, then we can pick them apart even if they get past. We want them alive if possible, capture is far preferable to elimination unless absolutely necessary. Toth out."

The KAE fleet broke formation as the Warstalker took position, reforming into small patrols that darted in and out of the blockade, weaving past C1 and Union ships with practised ease, filling the gaps in the blockade's coverage and patrolling the area between them and the blockade, just in case.

"Toth to General Roberts, we're receiving aid from C1, the Dragons and the Union. We're holding position just behind the Silverdragon ships and have set up patrols routes between us and the jumpgate, the CSAR delegation will not escape this blockade."

As the C-1 Delegation stood up and made it clear that they wanted to leave, Alex stood up as well and climbed up to the podium. There was still something he had to share with everyone present. "There is still something I would like to Adress." Alex said looking around before turning towards the C-1 Delegation. "It is something that will be important in the long run and it is also in the interest of the C-1 Corporation to listen to this. So i would like to ask you Ambassador to stay just a little while longer before you leave." Alex said, hoping that the C-1 would rather choose to stay then to leave now. Especialy since the Fleets outside of Sanctuary are preparing for a Blockade of the System.

Dalton Convention Centre, East Hall;

Meanwhile, Tash listened to Malaryks explanation and nods. The Trotsky will be a hard nut to crack but the larger Dragon was sure that they could get on board of the ship especialy now that he had a good look on the Ship itself. The holoemitters from his collar came to life and overlaid the display Malaryk had showed him. "Alright... I won't press you into giving me all the details Commander but there are two things i need to know first before I take my leave." Tash said before coming a bit closer looking at the Image of the Guardian Class Ship. "What would be the average Time between the Jumps and can i assume that the main battery is some kind of Mass Driver, Particle Accelerator or Railgun?" he couldn't imagin that the VI would use regular explosive driven weaponry. Not when they are using gravity manipulation technology already as well as energy based shielding. "Also i will make a bold statement here." He said drawing a line between the last jumppoint and the Jumpgate itself. "If we are unable to stop the Trotsky at this point." He said pointing towards the line "By disabeling it's engines or otherwise, i will give the order to Destroy the ship... If we would disable it's engines beyond this point, it's inertia alone would be enough to enter the Gates Event Horizon and they would leave. Is this acceptable for the Viridian Institute?"

Viridian System, Safe Zone;

Syra was listening to all the incoming messages. It would be hard to coordinate the flight path's of all the small craft around the Dragons Combatformation especialy when the GMU was invisible. They had the means to make it visible sure but it would be a waste of ressources. She sighs and opens a frequency to the other Ships. "Drachenfeuer II to Warstalker, Until the CSAR Manage to get a Ship out of the Nebula we still have Time. And we should use it as best as we can to prepare. The GMU can be activated on a moments notice so we have plenty of time to equip as many pilots as possible." She said looking down on her console. Tash was running late he should already be onboard the Drachenherz by now. She hoped he has a good reason for it. Afterwards, she contacted the commander of the Dark Gamma Squadron. "Commander Komodo, No, A.I. don't need special protection unless their processing units use organic compounds. Otherwise they should be fine. The GMU only affects non-biological material if the controlling A.I. want's to." She stopps for a moment before shivering. "Only Biomatter is in constant danger inside the GMU when not protected."

Order of Events:
- Alex has still something to say before the C-1 leaves.
- Tash adresses the elephant in the room
- Syra still wants to equip as many pilots as possible.
- Syra adresses Commander Komodo's question.

Afterwards, she contacted the commander of the Dark Gamma Squadron. "Commander Komodo, No, A.I. don't need special protection unless their processing units use organic compounds. Otherwise they should be fine. The GMU only affects non-biological material if the controlling A.I. want's to." She stopps for a moment before shivering. "Only Biomatter is in constant danger inside the GMU when not protected."

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Komodo gave a slight smile at this new. "Good to hear. Make that three pilots read to get suits. Though I have to ask that you not share are faces with anyone if we get the chance before these nuts show their face. As a Spec Ops unit, we've dealt with people we would rather not have learn who we are." The request was not one the commander took lightly either. He'd heard of Alpha and Beta members, along with there families, being targeted if word got out about who they are.

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Aboard the Maverick Unity, Exo still had a question on his mind. What was the blockade stopping? Was it a simple shuttle? A freighter? A full blow warship maybe? He didn't know what he was getting the crew into. All the second-in-command could do was get ready.

"Tayt. Load the torpedo tubes with EMPs, save two. If we don't have to sink whatever there stealing, I don't wan to."

"Consider it done, Exo."

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In the convention center, Kight just looked a bit worried, but not as worried as the ambassadors. He walked over to the Dragons that were still there, having some basic questions. "So, do you think our ship will be able to stop these schlangen from escaping without having to...." He stopped there. Kight never like talking about that option, but, as a fleet commander, he had to admit that it was there. "Without having to lose anymore innocent lives?"